1.4 Education - Gender Flashcards
GENDER GAP IN ACHIEVEMENT: Statistics
On starting
school:
At the end of year 1 girls were ahead of boys by between 7 and 17% in all 7 areas of learning (literacy, language, maths,
personal, social and emotional development).
Key Stages 1 to 3:
Girls do consistently better, especially in English were the gap widens with age. In science and maths the gap is much narrower but girls still do better.
GCSE:
The gender gap stands at about 10% difference.
AS and A-Level:
The gap is narrower than at GCSE, but girls still do better.
Vocational
subjects:
A larger proportion of girls achieve distinctions in every subject, including engineering and construction
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (EXTERNAL): IMPACT OF FEMINISM: McRobbie
Feminism has improved women’s rights and
opportunities We can see these changes in the media.
McRobbie’s (1994) study compared 1970s magazines emphasising the importance of marriage, to 1990s magazines which portrayed strong independent women.
These changes may affect girl’s self- image and ambitions.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (EXTERNAL): CHANGES IN THE FAMILY
Girls may have the role model of strong independent woman, to achieve this women need a well- paid job and good qualifications.
A rise in divorce rates also suggests to girls it is unwise to rely on their husband as the provider.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (EXTERNAL): CHANGES IN WOMENS EMPLOYMENT
Changes in women’s employment
There have been significant changes in
women’s employment over the past 10
years:
▪ 1970 EPA made it illegal to pay women less than men for the same work.
▪ The proportion of women in paid work has risen from 53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013.
▪ Some women are breaking through the “glass ceiling” (invisible barrier which keeps women out of high level professional or managerial jobs.
Analysis: Greater career
opportunities, better pay and successful female role models provide an incentive for girls to gain
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (EXTERNAL): CHANGES IN GIRLS ATTITUDES: Sharpe
Sharpe (1994) interviewed girls in the 1970s and 1990s and saw a shift in how girls see their future - 1974: girls had low expectations, prioritised love, marriage, husbands, children, jobs or careers (more or less in that order).- 1990s: girls prioritised their career and being able to support themselves.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (EXTERNAL): CHANGES IN GIRLS ATTITUDES: Fuller
Fuller (2011) found educational success became part of girl’s identity. They believed in meritocracy and aimed for professional jobs which would enable them to support themselves.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (EXTERNAL): CHANGES IN GIRLS ATTITUDES: Beck and Beck-Gernsheim
Beck and Beck-Gernsheim (2010) link this change in attitude to a trend in
individualism in today’s society, a career is part of a women’s self-project promising recognition and economic self-sufficiency.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (EXTERNAL): AO3: Reay
There are class differences in how girl’s ambitions have changed.
limited aspirations of working class girls reflect the limited jobs they perceive as being available to them.
Working class girls therefore do not see the point in achieving in education.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (INTERNAL): EQUAL OPPORTUNITY POLICIES: Boaler
Feminist ideas have impacted on the education system. For example GIST and WISE encourage girls to pursue careers in non-traditional areas.
The introduction of the National Curriculum in 1988 removed one source of gender inequality as girls and boys would have to study mostly the same subjects.
Boaler (1998) sees the impact of equal opportunities policies as a key reason for the changes in girls’ achievement. Barriers to education success have been removed and schooling is more meritocratic.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (INTERNAL): ROLE MODELS
There is now an increase in female teachers and heads, showing women can achieve positions of importance.
To become a teacher the individual must undertake lengthy and successful education herself therefore encouraging educational
achievement.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (INTERNAL): GCSE AND COURSEWORK: Gorard
the gender gap in achievement was fairly constant from 1975 to 1989 when there was a sharp increase, this was the year GCSEs (and coursework) were introduced. Gorard concludes that the gender gap is down to change in assessment, not the failing of boys.
increased use of oral exams, because girls have usually developed better language skills.
A03: Elwood (2005) although coursework may have had some impact it cannot be the only influence on the gender gap because exams have more influence on the final grade.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (INTERNAL): TEACHER ATTENTION: Francis
Teachers interact with boys and girls differently:
▪ Francis (2001) Boys were disciplined more harshly and felt picked on by teachers, who had low expectations of them.
This could explain why teachers respond more positively to girls, this could lead to a self- fulfilling prophecy, promotion girls’ self-esteem and raise achievement levels.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (INTERNAL): TEACHER ATTENTION: Swann
Swann (1998) and communication styles:
Boys dominate whole class discussion, whereas girls work prefer pair work and group work. Girls are also better at listening and cooperating, they take turns whereas boys interrupt oneanother.
This could explain why teachers respond more positively to girls, this could lead to a self- fulfilling prophecy, promotion girls’ self-esteem and raise achievement levels.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (INTERNAL): CHANGING STEREOTYPES: Weiner
Weiner (1995) claims since the 1980s, teachers have challenged these stereotypes and sexist images have been removed from textbooks. This could have impacted girls’ achievement by presenting them with more positive images of what women can do.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (INTERNAL): SELECTION/ LEAGUE TABLES: Jackson
high achieving girls are attractive to schools, whereas low achieving boys are not. This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy (girls are recruited by the good schools and are therefore more likely to do well).
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT (INTERNAL): SELECTION/ LEAGUE TABLES: Slee
Slee (1998)
boys are less attractive to better schools because of behaviour difficulties and
they’re 4x more likely to be excluded.
As a result boys are seen as “liability students”.
Girls are desirable.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT: FEMINIST VIEWS: Liberal
Liberal Feminists:
* Celebrate the progress so far in relation to girl’s achievement
* Further progress will be made as a result of equal opportunities policies, encouraging positive role models and overcoming sexist attitudes.
* Similar to functionalism they view education as meritocratic (all
individuals have an equal chance)
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT: FEMINIST VIEWS: Radical
Even though girls are achieving more, the system is still patriarchal and conveys the message it is a man’s world:
- Sexual harassment of girls at school
- Limits girl’s subject choices and career options
- Male teachers are still more likely to be heads of secondary schools
- Women are underrepresented in
the curriculum. Weiner (1993) secondary school history as a “women free zone”.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT: IDENTITIES, CLASS: Archer at al.
Feminists, such as Archer et al (2010), believe there is a conflict between working
class girl’s feminine identities and the ethos of the school. By performing their working class feminine identities the girls gained symbolic capital from their peers.
But, this brought them into conflict with the school.
Hyper-heterosexual feminine identity
The girls invested considerable time, effort and money into constructing their feminine identity. This led to the school “othering” the girls – Bourdieu defines this as symbolic violence (label their culture as worthless).
Archer: the “ideal female pupil” is de-sexualised and middle class.
- Having a boyfriend*
Having a boyfriend brought symbolic capital, but got in the way of schoolwork and
lowered aspirations. Girls wanted to “settle down”, have children and work locally in working class feminine jobs.
Being “loud”
Some adopted “loud” feminine identities – often outspoken, independent and
assertive. They didn’t meet the teacher’s expectations of the “ideal female pupil”
(passive and submissive) resulting in conflict with the teacher.
As a result of this working class girls are faced with a dilemma:
- Either gain symbolic capital from peers adopting a hyper-heterosexualidentity
- Or gain educational capital by rejecting working class identities and conform
to the school’s middle class, respectable, ideal female pupil.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT: IDENTITIES, CLASS: Evans
Evans (2009) Working class girls wanted to go onto university but not for themselves, to increase their earning power and help their families.
According to Skeggs (1997) their motivation reflects their “caring” identities.
GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT: IDENTITIES, CLASS: Archer (WC UNI)
Archer: working class girls preferred to stay local (key feature of working class habitus), resulting in self exclusion from the top universities.
